Journaling on estrip is free and easy. get started today

Last Visit 2016-04-04 09:29:22 |Start Date 2007-08-13 08:30:04 |Comments 728 |Entries 207 |Images 109 |Videos 2 |Theme |

08/29/08 01:10 - 69ºF - ID#45497

The election just got interesting to me

I am thoroughly interested in McCain's announcement of his Vice Presidential Candidate, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Commentators are already noting the irony that Obama with his Change America campaign has picked a politican who's been around the block in the Capitol City. McCain on the other hand has picked a little known woman Governor whose life in Alaska represents the American spirit in a way that will resonate with a lot of Americans. One more red flag in my head for Obama.

Governor Sarah Palin isn't enough for the McCain-Palin ticket to win my vote, but a review of her Wikipedia entry has me fascinated.

In Drew Style, I'll do a post on the 10 things (in no particular order) that I already like about Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin.

1. She embodies the spirit of feminism.

2. She is secure enough to be a feminist and a Republican.

3. She is secure enought to be a feminist and Pro-Life.

4. As a Republican, she was willing to tackle unethical behavior among her fellow Republicans.

5. She has the Alaskan Frontier Spirit.

6. She has the spirit of the Green Party wrapped up in a Republican body.

7. She hunts, snowmobiles, eats moose, ice fishes and has posed for Vogue fashion magazine.

8. She has shown that a woman can be a mother to five kids (one with downs syndrome) and a successful politican ... not that anyone ever questions male politicians ability to be fathers and politicians.

9. She's my sister in faith.

10. Like me, she played a wind instrument and was point guard for her basketball team.
print add/read comments

Permalink: The_election_just_got_interesting_to_me.html
Words: 275
Location: Buffalo , NY


08/20/08 03:14 - 72ºF - ID#45379

My supervisor

makes me cry.
print add/read comments

Permalink: My_supervisor.html
Words: 3
Location: Buffalo , NY


07/29/08 03:34 - 72ºF - ID#45184

I know an Olympian...sort of....

I ran track in junior highschool with this woman who qualified for the 1500m in the Olympics:



I'm excited for her and I definitely want to try to catch the race if I can. I'm a little bit jealous and a little bit regretful and I have to wonder ... if some girl from my little hometown in the midwest with whom I ran track made it, could I have? But I gave up sports to put my all into music... and this girl ran like it was her job so I know she deserves it and I'm so impressed.
print add/read comments

Permalink: I_know_an_Olympian_sort_of_.html
Words: 110
Location: Buffalo , NY


07/25/08 12:27 - 76ºF - ID#45138

Hot dog kind of day

Today was a perfect hot dog day.

I went to the hot dog stand near work.

I bought a hot dog and covered it with mustard, ketchup, a slice of pickle on either side, and slivers of onion on top.

Sat in the warm sun with a cool breeze on a wood bench.

Heavenly. What a needed break from my cubicle and fluourescent lights.
print add/read comments

Permalink: Hot_dog_kind_of_day.html
Words: 64
Location: Buffalo , NY


Category: food

07/15/08 09:28 - 72ºF - ID#45030

The fruits of my labor


image
Full shot of the garden

image
Cucumbers vining on the trellis.

image
Cucumbers ready to pick!

image
Okra blossom

image
First hint of okra...really excited, never grown it before. Can't wait to fry it in cornmeal batter.

image
The sturdy squash plant rapidly taking over the garden

image
Plenty of squash to come.

image
I finally have peppers growing rather successfully. In my first attempt two years ago, my peppers were consumed by some sort of blight. Last year when I tried to grow pepper plants from seed and puzzled over why they weren't growing, I discovered the cat peeing in the pot!

image
The fruits of my labor...two yellow squash and one cucumber which I promptly cut up, salted and peppered, sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and consumed. Sweet, juicy, seedy cucumber.
print add/read comments

Permalink: The_fruits_of_my_labor.html
Words: 144
Location: Buffalo , NY


07/09/08 07:39 - 74ºF - ID#44914

Pastor Wife Humor


print add/read comments

Permalink: Pastor_Wife_Humor.html
Words: 12
Location: Buffalo , NY


07/06/08 03:25 - 83ºF - ID#44880

Jim List of Christian Beliefs

(e:Drew) responded to (e:Jim)'s post with a little code explaining what he believes and doesn't believe. I thought it seemed fun to see where I stand on these things versus Drew as a non-seminary educated Christian.

I wanted to use the same key as Drew, but I am introducing a category of, I believe something but do not see it as essential to the faith which will be @

@ = I believe this but don't necessarily see it as an essential of the faith.

X = I do not believe this

  • = There is a nuance to this belief.

+ = This belief really is central to the faith, as I see it. (maybe or maybe not necessary, depending on who you ask)


+ That God exists.
+That God is still involved in the universe he created.
+That God cares about us.
@That God cares what religion you are in.
  • That God is the Christian God, not the Jewish, Islam, Baha'i, Mormonism, etc.
  • That all other religions are in grave error. (despite those faiths having equally compelling claims and theology to lay claim to this honor)
+ That God interacted directly with humanity in the past, and chose the Jews as his people above all others.
@That God guided the oral history of the Jews.
@ That God wrote the Bible, indirectly.
@ That God edited the Bible into its present form, indirectly.
X That God prevents textual errors from being introduced during copying, indirectly.
X That God would not allow the Bible to mislead us, but would allow other religious texts to mislead us.
  • That sins are against God, instead of against other humans.
  • That we have original sin that needs to be redeemed.
+ That virgin births can occur.
+ That Jesus was born to Mary as the Son of God.
+ That Jesus is in fact, God.
+ That Jesus could redeem sins through his death and resurrection.
  • That Jesus' death is the only way to cause that to happen.
+ That Jesus rose from the dead.
  • That the story of Jesus was accurately told orally for a hundred years.
X That the hundreds of contradictory written fragments and letters from the time after that don't matter, because:
X The editing process to sort everything out was also guided by God, again, indirectly.
X That the Gospels were then transmitted down with no textual errors in copying or translation thereafter, thanks to God, indirectly.
XThat the parts of the Bible and the Gospels that don't make sense don't contradict any of the above.
X That if you choose wrong, despite this inconsistent and inexplicable chain, you are damned to hell.

I think I definitely might come off as more conservative. Boy, that's a switch from the days when we were dating.
print add/read comments

Permalink: Jim_List_of_Christian_Beliefs.html
Words: 453
Location: Buffalo , NY


06/30/08 11:14 - 70ºF - ID#44829

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

SECOND REMINDER!!!

For those of you who enjoy classical music, the orchestra will be playing at Bidwell Parkway, Tuesday July 1st, 7pm.

(e:Drew) and I will be meeting folks at Lafayette Presbyterian Church in the parking lot at Elmwood ave and Lafayette ave. at 6:30pm to walk down together...if you don't want to meet us at the church, we'll catch up with you at Bidwell.

Hope to see you there!
print addComment

Permalink: Buffalo_Philharmonic_Orchestra.html
Words: 72
Location: Buffalo , NY


06/26/08 02:55 - 73ºF - ID#44792

My Supreme Court Hobby

I look forward to the two times of the year when the Supreme Court reads its decisions.

After taking an intense graduate level class in Criminal Justice and Law in which I plowed through several Supreme Court decisions and wrote several papers, I have an appreciation for and understanding of how decisions are made to a small extent. And because I've read a number of cases, I am sometimes familiar with the prececdents preceding a current case. It really is a fun hobby.

I am currently reading through the majority opinion of the court on the DC handgun case. I'm fascinated to read that, to date, Supreme Court cases have addressed the right to bear weapons in terms of the types of weapons (i.e. restrictions on assault rifles) and the types of persons (i.e. offenders). But this case explores whether the constitution intended for the right to bear arms to be a collective right (i.e. a militia) or individuals (Joe Schmoe down the street owning it for self defense). The decision to go down in history is that the constitution provides this right to the individuals.

I've only begun to dig in, but so far the majority opinion seems dead on, but I'm sure once I read the minority opinion, it will give me something to chew over.

So far, I am pleased that Scalia made clear that the right of the individual to bear weapons does not negate the laws that exist to regulate the types of weapons and who possesses those weapons (i.e. it's perfectly reasonable to make illegal the possession of nuclear weapons by the dude who has spent time in a psych hospital - my example, not Scalia's, lol).

I have a few more thoughts on the topic, but I want to finish reading the decision. Here's the link if you want to join me.


print add/read comments

Permalink: My_Supreme_Court_Hobby.html
Words: 321
Location: Buffalo , NY


06/16/08 10:35 - 63ºF - ID#44683

How far will we go to save money ....

on gasoline?

We rode our bikes home tonight from Pearl St. Brewery three miles in the rain!

Apparently, these are the memories that will make life seem so precious when we're old.
print add/read comments

Permalink: How_far_will_we_go_to_save_money_.html
Words: 32
Location: Buffalo , NY


Search

Chatter

New Site Wide Comments

joe said to joe
Never send a man to do a grandma's job...

sina said to sina
yes thank you!
Well, since 2018 I am living in France, I have finished my second master of science,...

paul said to sina
Nice to hear from you!! Hope everything is going great....

paul said to twisted
Hello from the east coast! It took me so long to see this, it might as well have arrived in a lette...